Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey is one of the most popular alcoholic spirits in the world, often enjoyed mixed with soft drinks, but many fans are only just discovering the brand’s odd history
Jack Daniel’s is a name anyone with a penchant for whisky will recognise and is arguably the most recognisable brand of Tennessee whisky in the world. Founded in Lynchburg, Tennessee in 1875, the spirit uses a distilling technique known as ‘sour mash’, using fermented ingredients to generate a slightly sweeter and more robust flavour.
Despite more than 14 million nine-litre cases of the drink being sold around the world in 2023, it seems many fans of the whisky are unaware of the history of Jack Daniel’s. In fact, despite the moniker being synonymous with the alcohol industry, Jack wasn’t the founder’s name at all.
Taking to Reddit, one booze connoisseur confessed: “Today I learned ‘Jack Daniel’ founder of Jack Daniel’s real name was Jasper Newton Daniel.” Indeed, American distiller and entrepreneur, Jasper was born in on September 5, 1849 in Lynchburg, where he died aged 62 in 1911.
“Sounds better than a Jasper and Coke,” explained one Reddit user in response, referencing the soft drink the whisky is most commonly enjoyed alongside. Another pointed out that contrary to popular belief, by definition Jack Daniel’s isn’t a bourbon whiskey. “Interesting,” they said. “A lot of people also don’t know that Jack Daniels is not a bourbon, but a Tennessee whiskey!”
Master of Malt clarifies this online, meanwhile, stating: “The two [bourbon and Tennessee] are often confused. The short answer is, no, Jack Daniel’s is a Tennessee whiskey. The slightly longer answer is yes, because Tennessee whiskey is a subtype of bourbon that meets all of the legal requirements for the spirit, but has additional requirements specific to its production in Tennessee.”
Elsewhere on Reddit, in a separate post, a user claimed they’d just discovered Daniel didn’t come up with the whisky’s recipe. “Today I learned Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green, a slave, taught Jack Daniel how to brew whisky,” they penned.
“He became Daniel’s Master Distiller, and is now known as ‘The Godfather of Tennessee Whiskey’. His son George also became a Master Distiller and some of his descendants STILL work for Jack Daniel’s Whiskey to this day.” Green is regarded as the first African-American master distiller on record in the United States.
Jack Daniel’s website clarifies this, revealing that a young Daniel befriended Green whilst working on Reverend Dan Call’s farm in the 1850s. “It was through this relationship that Jack learned about whiskey making, the Lincoln County Process of charcoal mellowing, and developed life-long friendships with the Green family,” the website states.
It continues: “Eventually when Reverend Call’s congregation and wife gave the preacher an ultimatum: walk away from making whiskey or walk away from his work as a minister, he made the decision to sell his business to Jack. And so Jack hired his friend and mentor, Nathan Green, who was now free as his first head distiller – or what we’d call a master distiller today.”
Responding to the Reddit post, one user penned: “Thank you for sharing this! I love my bourbon and this is a super cool story to tell while I drink it.” A second proposed: “So Nathan Green created whiskey but the brand is called Jack Daniel… the Green family should create their own line of high end whiskey called Nathan Green.”
